THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH CREATIVE LEARNING SEPTEMBER 2010 TO AUGUST 2011 1 2 CREATIVE LEARNING THIS year we wanted to do something really special to celebrate the The Creative Learning programme is delivered by some of Convention, and our night club run by and for Creative Learning programme. We’re aware that many people don’t get the best artists and practitioners in the country and we seek adults with learning disabilities, Funky Llama. the chance to experience the breadth and vitality of this work first hand, to invest in the next generation of arts leaders through our We have worked with some amazing people this year from all WELCOME so we threw open our doors and produced the Feast festival in the Drum assistant practitioner training scheme. In June a number of top walks of life, and we hope you enjoy reading all about it. Theatre. Each evening saw a different combination of performances, theatre companies delivered training in Plymouth and we will from devised pieces to new plays and multimedia to dance. Many of continue to bring the best to the region throughout next year. Victoria Allen, Creative Learning Director the groups outlined in this review took part, often performing in public We are currently gearing up for a busy year ahead, Simon Stokes, Artistic Director for the first time, and the response from audiences was fantastic. with the return of the major hip hop event, Breakin’ THIS YEAR WE RAN PROJECTS WITH... YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES YOUNG CARERS YOUNG STUDENTS AND PEOPLE NOT THEIR TEACHERS IN EDUCATION, IN SCHOOLS YOUNG EMPLOYMENT OR ACROSS THE MOTHERS I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE TRAINING (NEET) REGION THEATRE ROYAL DOES SO MUCH WORK IN THE YOUNG PEOPLE COMMUNITY AND WORKS WITH ADULTS WHO HAVE MENTAL WITH AUTISTIC SO MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS! Feast audience member HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS OR SPECTRUM SUBSTANCE MISUSE ISSUES DISORDERS 3 4 YOUNG PEOPLE THE Young Company is about getting involved with theatre for A number of sessions have been linked to performances on YOUNG personal development, informal learning and fun. Each week our stages, including Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, Good approximately 200 young people take part in weekly workshops, as Night Mr Tom, Hamlet and The Enormous Turnip. In the COMPANY well as professionally resourced productions in the Drum Theatre coming year an even greater synergy will be drawn between and other performance opportunities throughout the year. the Young Company and our artistic policy with an emphasis FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BETWEEN on the production of new writing or newly devised work. THE AGES OF FIVE AND 25 FEAST FESTIVAL PERFORM IT! PERFORM IT! April 2011, Drum Theatre This year we launched a Young Company group Supported by The Feast festival meant that the Young Company had more paced comedy about life, love, sport, and the perils of designed especially for young people with disabilities opportunities to perform in the Drum than ever before. The snogging with braces. The audience response was fantastic who would benefit from working in a smaller group dance groups created a piece about evolution, Kaspar the with the show gaining an excellent review in the Plymouth with additional support. The group is led by a dance Wild by Tim Crouch was performed by 8-11 year olds whilst Herald. Many young people involved had not been in a practitioner and a drama practitioner and at the end of an older group devised an adaptation of The Country of the Young Company production before and some of the cast each term they perform alongside other Young Company Blind by HG Wells. The whole festival was framed by an had previously been part of the Young Company Hubs. groups. Family members have said how beneficial installation on the Mezzanine Gallery by the the group is for the young people taking part. Young Company design group. HEARTBREAK BEAUTIFUL by Christopher William Hill, August 2011, Drum Theatre With a newly commissioned score by Plymouth Music Zone, the Young Company produced this hilarious fast- I BROKE MY ARM BUT THERE IS NO WAY I’M GOING TO MISS DANCE THE WRITING COURSE AT TR2 IT HAS PROVIDED THE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH REALLY HELPED MY Finlay, age 12 , Young Company Member THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET NEW PEOPLE, DAUGHTER DEVELOP WORK AS PART OF A TEAM AND IMPROVE THEIR HER WRITING, IT WAS COMMUNICATION AND MEMORY SKILLS. I HAVE NOTICED IN SCHOOL PERSONALLY WITNESSED THE CONFIDENCE THAT SHE WAS AHEAD BOOST AND SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT THAT THE BECAUSE OF THIS GROUP HAS HAD ON THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT Parent of Amy, age 16, HAVE BEEN INVOLVED Young Company Member Katy Bartlett, Children’s Services Manager for The Dame Hannah Rogers Trust on Perform it! 5 6 YOUNG PEOPLE THE Young Company Hubs provide weekly arts provision in below. As well as regularly attending the weekly sessions and YOUNG community settings for young people who wouldn’t otherwise have performing at TR2 to family and friends, many of the young access to it. The project has proven to increase the confidence and people also achieved their Bronze Arts Awards. We are now COMPANY HUBS self-esteem of participants as well as raising aspirations towards working with a group of these young people to devise a new, issue further positive activity. This year we worked in close partnership based, performance that will tour the city on the Youth Service FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK OF EXCLUSION OR with the Youth Service to establish three new Hubs as outlined bus, providing mobile youth support in the areas that need it most. WHO LIVE IN AREAS OF HIGH DEPRIVATION t ESTOVER YOUTH CENTRE, DANCE HUB PLYMOUTH YOUNG CARERS, DRAMA HUB A new youth centre opened in Estover this year, with For many of the young people who accessed this the Hub forming part of its provision. Many of the Hub, it was the only opportunity for them to young people who attended this group suffered from spend time with peers outside of school due to low confidence and self esteem, as well as a lack of their commitments of caring for their families. family support to be able to access positive activities They came to view the Hub as safe space to express outside of school. their shared experiences through drama. PLATFORM 51 YOUNG WOMEN’S GROUP, DRAMA HUB Formerly the YWCA, Platform 51 is an organisation that supports young women to take control of their lives. Many of the young women in the Hub were experiencing complex issues related to drink and drugs, homelessness and teenage pregnancy. I THOUGHT IT WAS A DREAM TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS – THE HUB GAVE ME THE CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING REAL Hub participant I FEEL PROUD OF MYSELF AND THE Supported by THINGS I HAVE DONE WITH THE HUB; GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION MY DAUGHTER’S CONFIDENCE HAS SOARED; SHE IT HAS SHOWN ME THAT I DO HAVE THE D’OYLY CARTE CHARITABLE TRUST HAS GROWN IN CHARACTER – THIS PROJECT HAS CONFIDENCE AND I AM WORTH IT BEEN AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE Hub participant Mother of Hub participant 7 8 YOUNG PEOPLE SUMMER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES PROJECTS IT WAS NICE TO SEE MY BROTHER AUTISM PROJECT HAPPY AND CONFIDENT Sibling of Autism Project participant Over a two week period in the summer holidays we ran interdisciplinary drama and visual arts workshops with two groups of young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with challenging behaviour. t SUMMER STAKEOUT NATIONAL THEATRE CONNECTIONS We also offered our popular Summer Stakeout programme Connections is the National Theatre’s new writing which saw a week-long Musical Theatre Academy leading programme for young performers. We supported to a packed performance in the Drum Theatre and a series nine groups from across the region to perform new of family workshops for children aged three to six and their plays in a four day festival in the Drum Theatre. parents or carers. The groups were: Newquay Tretherras School, Coombeshead Community College, Fowey SUMMER MIX Community College, Callington Community In partnership with the Youth Service we contributed to the College, City College Plymouth, Bodmin city-wide Summer Mix programme with two ‘play in a week’ Community College, West Exe Technology College, projects, one held at Platform 51 and one at TR2. Both Stoke Damerel Community College and TYKES culminated in performances in the Drum Theatre. Youth Theatre. THE BEAUTY MANIFESTO By Nell Leyshon, March 2012, Drum Theatre Last year a group of young people from the Hubs I LOVE THAT worked with writer Nell Leyshon to develop the MY IDEAS ARE script for the Beauty Manifesto. This year the Hubs LISTENED TO! and the Young Company produced the finished Summer Mix participant AUTISM PROJECT play as part of the National Theatre Connections supported by festival. This highly physical production tackled our increasing obsession with beauty in a bold and hard- hitting manner. It was performed again as part of the Feast festival in April. SUMMER MIX supported by A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR MY SON TO GAIN SOCIALISING SKILLS AND BUILD HIS CONFIDENCE. HE HAS HAD A BRILLIANT TIME AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO EXPRESS HIMSELF MORE FREELY Parent of Autism Project participant Photo - Alex - ChristakiPhoto 9 10 EDUCATION WORKING in partnership with Dundee Rep, Polka Theatre and York Theatre Royal, Playhouse gives teachers from primary PLAYHOUSE schools across the UK a chance to direct a play by one of the FOR country’s leading playwrights. Every year each organisation PRIMARY commissions a new play and then works with local schools towards a festival of performances in their home venue. The Plymouth SCHOOLS festival took place in July over three days in the Drum Theatre.